Many small business owners should be grateful for surviving on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, and the last frantic days of the Christmas shopping season. However, they can’t slow their pace as they need to prepare for 2014, especially the e-commerce strategy. The e-commerce landscape shifts by the minute, so make sure you have the latest tools and business strategies to adapt to these changes. Here are seven latest e-commerce trends that small business owners should be aware of in 2014:
1. More mobile
The last Black Friday was “Mobile Friday” with almost 40% of all online shopping done on mobile devices. This trend will continue in 2014 as more consumers are encouraged to use their phones and tablets for making deals anytime and anywhere. Small businesses need to make sure their sites are optimised into responsive design so that customers can view them on any type of handheld mobile device. Streamlined browsing, saving, and shopping across platforms will be crucial for any business that wants to grow in 2014.
2. Free and fast shipping
In 2014, we will see more innovations in the delivery end of the purchase experience. Offering free or faster shipping options is a must. Businesses now have the option to partner with companies that work with retailers to offer customers free or faster shipping. Small businesses that can’t afford free and fast shipping can look for creative ways to deliver. A caring and personal note to customers might just do the job nicely.
3. Business without limits
Businesses must be aware to the fact that they need to look beyond their limitations. 2014 will be a year of exponential growth in global e-commerce. Successful retailers in search of sales growth are increasingly going global by expanding their online shopping operations in foreign countries. Astonishing numbers such as the $5.7 billion sales on China’s Singles’ Day, the equivalent of Cyber Monday, have been a wake-up call to many businesses that have not looked outside their limitations.
4. Content marketing is very important
Content marketing is one of the main ways that companies establish authority and gain trust with their online shoppers. It has become a popular e-commerce marketing strategy in 2013 and will continue to grow. A recent study shows that 82% of marketers plan to increase their budgets for content marketing in 2014. Small businesses that don’t have a big budget can provide unique, useful, and entertaining information to inspire purchases and build greater rapport with their customers.
5. The growth of guided discovery
With today’s shoppers going online and crunching for time, they need fewer choices but the right choices. To make shoppers’ lives easier in 2014, more and more online businesses will start engineering the right mix of “guided discovery” to provide targeted and welcome suggestions that help consumers make purchases. Small businesses can embrace this trend by looking at the user data they already have available and providing relevant, thought-out recommendations. The key is to help them browse less, find more.
6. Consumer-driven demand and personalisation
Consumers want unique, original products and businesses need to be able to deliver that in increasingly creative and profitable ways. In 2014, we will see more businesses empower customers with the ability to personalise, modify, or design the products that they want to purchase. More businesses will start to implement 3D printing technology to enable and speed up this customisation. They will also allow consumers to specify ahead of time what they want to buy and when they want it, often before those products are even grown or manufactured. This growing technology-based e-commerce trend increases efficiency dramatically and benefits both consumers and businesses.
7. The brand is still number one priority
In the midst of the mega e-commerce coming in 2014, businesses will go back to the basics: building a strong brand. No e-commerce trend will survive without a solid brand as its foundation. Businesses build a strong brand by delivering great products, articulating their missions, and aligning themselves with influencers who can talk about their brands for them. They key is no matter what you do, do not forget about the brand no matter what bells and whistles you use to market it.
Better e-commerce strategy means a memorable shopping experience for consumers with more options, better services, and lower prices. Plus, it’s a win for businesses too, because it means happier customers, smoother online functions, and more growth opportunities.